Get ready , a birth soon to be announced

I can understand what people are saying -yes they do have a priveleged pampered life, BUT they are on show and on duty whenever in public -have to look immaculate at all times, have numerous public engagements or duties to perform etc the press is always analysing what they say,do or wear. Kate understandably needs to take some time off from public engagements at the moment. But calling it matenity leave is ridiculous. There are many types of job -not all involve scrubbing floors! I for one wouldn't want theirs.
I think HM like Charles is concerned about the planet and climate change, as I am and was suggesting all who could might plant more things. I dont think it equayes in any way with Let them eat cake (which has been misrepresented anyway.)

I absolutely agree p.p. gilly, when our son was a baby just about all his clothes etc were second hand, passed down from my youngest cousin who is 15 months older than son. (mixed up generations!) this arrangement went on for quite a few years, also baby stuff being passed from son to our daughter! (no maternity leave then!) Many is the coat, jersey, dress trousers etc bought for our two over the years from the Red Cross shop just up the road from where we lived. We went through some hairy financial times particularly in the 1970's, and quite frankly along then, 'needs must!!' I am sorry that you feel as you do, and I CAN see the unfairness of the different situations, but as annie said it's always been like this wherever in the world you live and almost certainly always will be, and so? It is difficult, and I am sorry.

Yes I can see that contrasting your daughter's situation with all the privileges Kate' s baby will have must be upsetting, but we can't all live in palaces with servants to attend to our every need. We certainly struggled financially when our children were little and I suspect the majority on GN did too, to a greater or lesser extent. But it's not Kate's fault -she has to do as she is told. Meghan and Harry are asking for no wedding presents but for people to donate to charity instead which is a good idea I think. They will not want for much (except privacy!) Its the ha gers on like beatrice & eugenie that annoy me -they get the privilege but don't have the responsibilities.

I think p.p Beatrice and Eugenie finance themselves or rather their father does! Wasn't there a bit of a ding dong between P's Andrew and Charles about these young women's security? I'm certain they now pay for this themselves, (quite right too!!) much to P.A's annoyance!! I rather like Princess Eugenie, her wedding is completely overshadowed by 'you know who's, but perhaps she and her intended prefer it that way!

I put my eldest child in second hand clothes, I then passed down clo5hes. In fact most o& my baby equipment was second hand.
I worked whilst my children were small, but I would never begrudge anyone anybody anything.
I do judge parents however who don’t give enough time and love.
They would rather have money and things. They would rather put the babies into somebody else’s care whilst they work to earn more when children could do with more parents time.

Beatrice and Eugenia are not allowed royal duties. Andrew wanted them to but Charles wants to slim down the number , very wise, there are queenie, Charles and Camilla, William and Katherine, Harry and Megan, Anne, Edward and Sophie and I suppose Andrew . Sophie carries out many royal duties but doesn't get media attention. Eleven are enough .

You're telling me annie!! But it's the system we have and at least you'll not get the ambitious politician climbing that greasy pole with self interest at heart before the good of the nation, which I do believe HM has.

But didn’t we all want better for our (grandchildren) our children’s children ?

I know we can’t all live in palaces and be rich etc. And there are people far, far worse off than my DD will ever be . It’s just the contrast of the extreme rich and extreme poor that bothers me .

I am against a republic Niggly, the thought of an pother election every five years , and Trump employs several family members . The Windsors work for charities and support many societies as well as the armed forces, they do not work to fill their own wallets .

This is how I feel annie, the RF certainly don't do what they do, Princes Trust, innumerable charities and so on, to line their own pockets - not so sure about ambitious Presidents?!!
I can see though that the contrast between rich and poor is at times hard to stomach.

Definately gilly, but we have to accept there will always be rich and poor, a milkman is never going to earn the same as a doctor , some teenagers leave school with one or two GCSE's some leave university with a degree. I do not mean we do nothing for those who live in poverty . I struggled to bring up my girls on my own, I didn't have anywhere near the same money coming in as a friend who was a maths teacher , there was no point in me being angry . I didn't have the brains to be a teacher . Police wives who were friends went on to buy their homes with their husbands, my husband died so I couldn't have what they had . Never had my retirement cottage on the Welsh coast, ended up in a council bungalow . That's life

Gilly I do agree! There is far too much contrast between obscenely rich and extremely poor both nationally and worldwide. But I tend to reserve my wrath for those who do nothing for others and are just interested in accumulating wealth for themselves. I don't count the main royals amongst those as I do think they work hard in their own way and do a lot of good (charities etc.) However I may be misguided. DH certainly thinks so! He is a replublican but I'm not!

Hop all goes well with the birth of your daughter's baby Gilly -of course it means much more to you than Kate's baby. Likewise I'm more interested in my DD's pregnancy!

I hope everything goes well for all these mums to be, good wishes and good luck to all.?
annie your very good health!?

Queenie on record this week telling everyone how she thinks we should all plant stuff to save the planet....joke..millions cant afford to feed their families or put a roof over their heads

Well, I don't actually see this as a joke paddyann

I know there are people who are having to use foodbanks and we do need more affordable housing and the sooner the better as far as I'm concerned. When you say millions I am assuming you mean millions around the world and not just in this country.

However, we do need to look to the future of our planet and planting more trees/shrubs is an excellent way to help achieve this, even in a pot.
There must be many people in this country who can afford to do just that, even if it's just a shrub or two in their garden.
Yes, some people are struggling, but there are many, many families in this country who seem to be doing OK - if not, how then did my family find it impossible to book a table for a get-together recently at not one, not two, not three but four chain restaurants? Unable to book for bowling - all booked out? The restaurant we managed to book was packed with families on a Sunday evening.

I am sure, if they can afford to take their families out to restaurants, they can afford to plant a shrub.

Now I appreciate that you wouldn't want to visit an ill person mob handed but can you imagine any normal family, where there is a Wife, 4 children and umpteen grandchildren and none of them, bar one has bothered to visit this very old man?
When I was in hospital I hated having visitors seeing me looking ill and vulnerable.

Oh my goodness we’re talking about an old man in his 90’s ! when my very elderly grandma of a similar age was in hospital we made sure she had visitors at every session. It must be very lonely in a private room .

He will have his staff with him, probably spends more time with them when at home too. It's the way they live

Yes Annie you’re probably right, he’s probably closer to his “staff” than his family. .

They’re all complete weirdos .

I don't think you can say that they're weirdo's! Each to his own I'd say. When I had my hip replaced I honestly didn't mind at all that my nearest and dearest didn't visit that much. We kept in touch by phone and it was only a few days and tbh I enjoyed the comparative peace!!

They are no more weird than the rest of us ?. They live different lives to us. Kate is criticised for taking time off from public duties because she has the baby. Her mother was criticise for spending time with her daughter when she had her first and second child . One generation back the nannies brought up the children. So again they can't get it right .

I wouldn’t criticise Kate’s mother for helping after the babies were born, that’s what many normal mothers do.

I am pretty sure nannies still do a great deal of the bringing up too.

I stand by my comment that they are mostly weird. I mean an old man in his 90’s in hospital for weeks and he gets one visit from his daughter and that’s it. What about his sons, grandchildren, wife for goodness sake?

And I’m with paddyann with regards to the tree planting sermon from her maj.

How patronising. She should tell her kids and grandkids to stop driving gas guzzling cars and stop jetting around the world etc. And when all of her subjects enjoy the same medical care, are as warm, decently housed and well fed...... as her and her every increasing family, THEN and only then I might listen to her ramblings.

Prince Phillip is an 'interesting' individual. He may well have said he didn't want visitors. He's had major surgery at a grand age. Skype is an easy way of keeping in direct contact without clogging up the roads and hospitals as would inevitably happen if any member of the RF did go to visit.
It's their business, surely?
Good point Annie "they are no more weird than the rest of us" . How many of us would want to be exposed to the constant intrusion into our private lives? How many of our 'normal' family lives would withstand the kind of scrutiny and criticism the RF are subjected to.
I was a strong republican but the older I get, the more I conclude my father was right. The RF is our tradition and it's least worse than electing a President.

They strike me as a very ordinary family with a singularly difficult and unrelenting job. There are plenty of other people with jobs where they are home very little; long distance lorry drivers, merchant seamen, members of the armed services. They spend a lot of time sat in cars in couples being driven to official ocasions and when they are at home together seem to behave much like any other family. Bear in mind most Royal spouses come from very ordinary backgrounds these days.

What on earth is so odd about wearing second hand clothes? I've worn them all my life. I was born in war time.
I wore clothes handed down from older cousins. DF was in the army and most bases would have a Thrift Shop, DM used to volunteer with them and a lot of my clothes came from there.

I bought hardly any clothes for DD until she started school because of all the handdowns I had. The weirdos are the ones that never wear secondhand clothes and have to have new clothes for every occasion.